Can you hack a mech?

[camberme]

In a one shot, you face a mech. My mechanic player asked if it could be hacked? I don't see why not, mechs have computers in them, you're hacking a computer. I allowed them to hack it and with a high enough roll give an effect, if htey barely passed, -1 ac, or -1 attack, if they kinda passed, -2, if they really passed stun.. well they rolled the highest they could, and everybody cheered, so I gave the staggered effect. really made the mech "less dangerous" (still dropped a few of them).

I couldn't find anywhere in the rule about hacking a mech yes or no, so I ask. Is it even possible.

[Garretmander]

No, it's not possible according to the rules.

That said, since you basically ruled it as not ending the encounter outright, it's mostly fine.

It maybe should have either taken a couple of turns to get that result, or the mech should have also gotten a save to negate or reduce that effect, but it's fine.

[BigNorseWolf]

Like, you're hoping in the cockpit or you're trying to hook up to its wifi?

Because you do NOT hook the giant killer robot with machine guns and laser swords up to the internet. (they'll kill your minutes downloading tik tok videos)

[Metaphysician]

Technically, I don't think there is anything in the rules that says a mecha necessarily even *has* a Computer, in the capital C sense. Sure, most logically should, but in Starfinder, conventional space opera tech is not the only option. A mecha might be built out of analog electronics, magical crystals, or steam powered gears for all it matters.

Beyond that, yeah. No sane mecha designer is going to include open wifi ports. To even try and hack the computers in a hostile mecha, you'd need Remote Hack or a similar ability, or else *maybe* if you had the right frequencies/access codes to interface with its communications systems. Note that the former has range limits that mean your hacking effort might have to be occurring "within mecha melee range", and the latter would be something you'd almost certainly have to acquire elsewhere before battle. All just to attempt a hack that would still be against fairly high DCs ( from the standard "Computer Tier = Item Level /2" rule of thumb ), and where anything short of successful Root Access would probably just be a temporary impediment.

[Wesrolter]

Computer: A mech houses a personal comm unit and a tier 1
computer that primarily coordinates the mech’s movements and
systems. The computer’s tier increases by 1 at mech tier 4 and
every 4 tiers thereafter. The superior computer upgrade (page
108) can enhance the computer’s performance.

Page 96, bottom right corner

[Garretmander]

Wesrolter wrote:

Computer: A mech houses a personal comm unit and a tier 1

computer that primarily coordinates the mech’s movements and
systems. The computer’s tier increases by 1 at mech tier 4 and
every 4 tiers thereafter. The superior computer upgrade (page
108) can enhance the computer’s performance.

Page 96, bottom right corner

so... yes with remote hack... but even getting root access gives you what? The mech's movements are slightly uncoordinated?

[E-div_drone]

Step one would absolutely be getting to the computer. The range limitations of even remote hack and similar abilities have been discussed, the point that has yet to be brought up that those abilities also require line of effect, and this would, at least in my opinion, require someone trying to hack the mech first manage to get on board... somehow? That would take some pretty impressive stealth rolls, athletics checks or the like, and managing to pop the lock on the door so you can get in. All while it is busy trying to kill you and your party in the given scenario. Get access to the computer with out the pilot noticing and activating counter measures (which you just know it has to have; I mean, you install them in your ship don't you? *silence* Um. Don't you?), and you could very well halt all functions, but getting there, as shown, is quite the challenge.

Also, to make any situation where hacking a computer is going to have a major impact on the adventure, I'd recommend using the dynamic hacking rules from Tech Revolution so that more than just the hacking character can be involved, and so that a single dice role doesn't decide the outcome of the campaign. (our table has some expansions on the dynamic hacking rules that help us conceptualize the process, if anyone is interested.)